Governor Bob McDonnell and the Science Museum of Virginia
have named Chancellor Professor John Milliman of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, as one of Virginia’s Outstanding
Scientists for 2012.

The Outstanding Scientist award is bestowed annually to
honor those who have excelled in research and commitment to science, and whose
contributions to scientific research have extended the boundaries of their own
and other fields. Award recipients are selected by a distinguished panel of
internationally renowned Virginia scientists.

“This award is richly deserved recognition for John
Milliman, and it’s splendid not just for him but for VIMS and William &
Mary as a whole,” says W&M President Taylor Reveley. “John is an internationally
renowned marine geologist as well as a master teacher and mentor to his
students. By every measure, Dr.
Milliman has walked the walk of an outstanding scientist, professor, and
colleague. He is one of the best.”

Milliman, whose career at William & Mary’s School of
Marine Science at VIMS began in 1993, has conducted groundbreaking research and
published seminal works in not just one but two key areas of marine
science—river discharge and carbonate chemistry. He is also a pioneer in
establishing collaborative research ties between the U.S. and China.

Dr. Roger Mann, Director of Research and Advisory Services
at VIMS, says “The hallmark of outstanding scientists is the vision they have
for both expanding boundaries of scientific knowledge and driving positive
societal change. John is a visionary par
excellence and a globally recognized leader in marine geology.”

River Research

During the past two decades, Milliman’s research has focused
on studies of how river discharge influences the ocean, and how human actions
impact river discharge. This work has culminated in the world’s largest river
database—with records from 1,534 rivers around the globe—and publication in
2011 of River Discharge to the Coastal
Ocean: A Global Synthesis. Co-authored by Dr. Katie Farnsworth, a Ph.D.
student with Milliman from 1998-2003 and now an Associate Professor at the
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the book presents a detailed analysis and
synthesis of the processes affecting river discharge of water, sediment, and
dissolved solids.

VIMS Dean and Director John Wells says “John and Katie’s
book is a critically important resource at a time when societies around the
globe are attempting to manage and plan for the threats of coastal erosion,
low-oxygen dead zones, and sea-level rise.”

The book reveals how human activities such as dam building,
levee construction, and agriculture have drastically altered the nature of
river input to the ocean, both decreasing the amount of sediments deposited in
deltas and available to protect shorelines, and increasing the inputs of
nitrogen and other nutrients that fuel low-oxygen coastal dead zones.

Dr. Bilal Haq, a former colleague of Milliman at the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution and currently the Director of the Marine Geosciences
Programs at the U.S. National Science Foundation, says the book “promises to be
an authoritative and influential reference for educators and policymakers for
years to come.” Professor James Syvitski of the University of Colorado agrees
that it’s a book for the ages. “Through perseverance,” he says, “professor
Milliman and students have put together the largest global database on river discharge
and sediment transport ever. This work will be honored for centuries.”

Haq and others laud Milliman’s earlier contributions to
river science as well. Haq notes that Milliman’s 1992 paper on the global
importance of small mountain rivers led to a “paradigm shift in the field,” revealing
that these steep torrents transport more sediment to ocean basins than all
major rivers combined—including the Amazon, Mississippi, Congo, and Yangtze. A
recent analysis of that 1992 paper showed it to be the fourth most-cited
research study among more than 17,000 coastal science articles published between
1975 and 2005.

VIMS professor Steve Kuehl says “Simply put, John is the
world’s expert on rivers. His 1992 paper and other contributions literally
changed the course of major science funding in the coastal ocean for the next
two decades.”

Carbonate Research

Milliman’s research career began with a focus on ocean
carbonates. These compounds play a key role in buffering ocean acidity, and
serve as the skeletal building blocks of a wide variety of marine organisms,
from oysters to corals to single-celled marine phytoplankton. Milliman’s 1974
book Marine Carbonates remains the
definitive text for geologists and biologists of all stripes.

Dr. Jonathan Warrick of the U.S. Geological Survey says
Milliman’s work on marine carbonates “established the ocean-wide budget of
these important compounds” and “has defined how the ocean will respond to
acidification under the elevated carbon dioxide concentrations of the coming
centuries.” Rising ocean acidity has already been implicated in causing harm to shellfish beds and coral reefs due to dissolution of the organisms’ skeletons
and shells.

To date, Milliman has published more than 200 peer-reviewed
research papers during his 46-year career, many of them highly cited by
subsequent researchers. Syvitski, using a metric he developed as director of
the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, says “John has written 8 platinum
papers [with more than 50 citations] and another 24 gold papers [with more than
100 citations]. If his success were in the field of music, he would surely be
entered in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame beside the Beatles and the Rolling
Stones.”

Education

In addition to his research accomplishments, Milliman has
also played an important role in the education program at VIMS, serving as the
Dean of Graduate Studies from 1993-1999, and as the major advisor for 10
graduate students and as a committee member for 18 others.

Professor Carl Friedrichs, chair of the Physical Sciences
Department at VIMS, says “a hallmark of John’s service as Graduate Dean was his
commitment to recruit students from under-represented groups.” Milliman was
instrumental in strengthening VIMS’ Research Experience for Undergraduates
program, now in its 22nd year. A 2010 survey of VIMS REU alumni shows that 66%
of those from minority groups have gone on to pursue careers or higher degrees
in science or engineering.

Milliman teaches a number of graduate and undergraduate
courses, including “Marine Geology,” “Tropical Carbonates,” and “Rivers:
Processes and Management.“ The latter includes a popular weeklong Spring Break
field trip to study the rivers of California.

Testimonials from former students speak to the enthusiasm
and joy that Milliman brings to his work. Dr. J. Paul Liu, (VIMS Ph.D. 2001) says
“The most important thing John taught me wasn’t only the knowledge of marine
geology, but the attitude to do research, particularly the way to see the big
picture. His enjoyment of doing research in both the lab and field really
attracted me and led me to the academic field.”

Farnsworth says “The most important education John provided was
to allow me to share in his passion for his work. You can’t miss it standing in
the pouring rain on a shaking bridge with the flooded Ventura River rushing
beneath you. If you had been lucky enough to be there with us, you would have
seen the smile on his face and the excitement in his eyes.”

Top 5 Cited Articles

[source: Google Scholar]

J.D. Milliman and R.H. Meade, 1983. World-wide delivery of river sediment to the oceans Journal of Geology.—1785 citations

J.D. Milliman and J.P.M. Syvitski, 1992. Geomorphic/tectonic control of sediment discharge to the ocean: the importance of small mountainous rivers. Journal of Geology.—1376 citations